Cooper Flagg makes history, surpasses LeBron James as youngest player to score 35 points

Cooper Flagg packed a lot of history into the Dallas Mavericks' back-to-back games against the NBA's two Los Angeles squads. On Friday night, Flagg dished out 11 assists, the most ever by an 18-year-old, in a loss to the Lakers. Twenty-four hours later, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, a feat that was much more satisfying because it occurred as he led an injury-depleted Dallas team to a 114-110 win over the Clippers at the Intuit Dome. "He's only 18 years old, but he seems like he's been in this league before," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.

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NBA Stat: Cooper Flagg becomes the youngest player in NBA history to record 10+ AST in a game: Cooper Flagg (18y-343d) LeBron James (18y-355d) Bluesky | Nov. 29, 2025

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd echoed that sentiment after Flagg attacked Adebayo late in the game. “He keeps it simple. Whatever the defense gives him, that’s what he does,” Kidd said. “The ability to drive to get to the basket, to get the foul, knock the free throws down — that’s big for an 18-year-old.” Dallas Hoops Journal | Nov. 28, 2025

Miami’s Bam Adebayo said those situations don’t appear to rattle him. “He’s not scared of the moment,” Adebayo said. “A lot of guys would move to the corner when there’s two minutes left in a close ball game … he was going to get the ball. He’s growing up faster than people think.” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra pointed specifically to Flagg’s composure as a defining strength at this stage. “His competitive spirit and how competitively mature he is for his age,” Spoelstra said. “He’s not even 19 yet. Is that correct? I mean, that’s crazy.” Dallas Hoops Journal | Nov. 28, 2025

Speaking after the loss to the Heat, Flagg said the adjustment has required leaning on perspective. “I’m just trying to keep my people close to me, my family, obviously,” Flagg said. “But I think the other part, just being optimistic, it’s a long season. We’ve had a lot of guys step up, deal with a lot of injuries. And there’s been a lot of positive that we’ve been able to take from some of these games as well.” Dallas Hoops Journal | Nov. 28, 2025

Grant Afseth: Dallas Mavericks Injury Report vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Cooper Flagg: Available (Right Thumb Splint) Anthony Davis: Questionable (Left Calf Strain) Kyrie Irving: Out (Left Knee Surgery) Dereck Lively II: Out (Right Foot Injury Management) Danté Exum: Out (Right Knee Injury Management) x.com | Nov. 27, 2025

Mike Curtis: Cooper Flagg was asked about Friday's upcoming game against the Lakers/Luka Doncic & if it means anything to him: "I would say to me, it's another game. I know there's gonna be a lot of other things that go into that game & through a lot of these guys' mindsets & whatnot. For me, it's just another game. I'm trying to survive day by day, take everything one day at a time, one game at at time. Right now, we're just trying to find ways to win." x.com | Nov. 25, 2025

But Cooper Flagg was all smiles when he exchanged a hug with Queen after the buzzer Friday night, as the No. 1 pick had just scored 12 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Mavs to a 118-115 comeback win at the American Airlines Center. On this occasion, it was Queen who missed with an opportunity to tie the score in the final seconds, airballing a 3-pointer on the Pelicans' final possession. It was a rough finish to an otherwise phenomenal performance for Queen, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 11 assists. "I [saw] him laugh at me," Queen said of his postgame meeting with Flagg, his former teammate at Montverde Academy in Florida. "That's probably what he was laughing at, but yo, that's crazy. Full circle." ESPN | Nov. 22, 2025

Taking his coach’s advice, Flagg didn’t settle for jump shots. He slashed into the paint and used his size to get shots up over the defense. It was a winning formula. “His size is unbelievable for an 18-year-old,” Mavericks guard Max Christie said about Flagg. “His ability to use that to his advantage against smaller defenders and even the same size as him. His ability to bump, his touch around the rim. He made some timely baskets for us. We are looking forward to him continuing to do that for us.” New York Times | Nov. 22, 2025

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Cooper Flagg makes history, surpasses LeBron James as youngest player to score 35 points